India's road to WTC 2027 final: Full schedule for 2025-27 cycle

As Indiarsquos pursuit of the 20232025 World Test Championship WTC final comes to a close attention will soon shift to the upcoming WTC 202527 cycle Under the leadership of head coach Gautam Gambhir the side will embark on a fresh quest one that will see them face off against six different opponents across multiple continents The new cycle promises to be a challenging one with Indiarsquos first major task being a fiveTest tour of England in June 2025 arguably the most difficult assignment of the entire cycleHaving narrowly missed out on a spot in the WTC final in the current cycle after reaching the final in both of the previous cycles Gambhir will be keen to steer India to success in the 202527 WTC With his contract running until 2027 there will be plenty of intrigue around whether he will remain in charge for the final of this cycle should India make it that farThe first major challenge of the 202527 cycle will come in June 2025 when India will travel to England for a fivematch Test series The competition between teams has only intensified in recent years making this series crucial for India in setting the tone for the entire cycle A strong start will be important for Gambhir and his team as they aim to get ahead early in their bid for a spot in the WTC 2027 finalIndias schedule for the 202527 cycle will also see them face two further WTC assignments on home soil in 2025 The first will be a twoTest series against the West Indies in October followed by a second series in December this time against South Africa Both of these series will take place on home turf offering India a chance to gather crucial points against relatively competitive yet manageable oppositionIn 2026 Indiarsquos WTC commitments will be more limited with only four Test matches scheduled for the year India will begin the year with a twoTest series against Sri Lanka in August Later in the year from October to December India will tour New Zealand for another twoTest series With fewer matches each Test will carry added significance making it essential for India to maintain focus and momentum through these challenging toursThe cycle will culminate in 2027 with another fivematch series against Australia this time in India The BorderGavaskar Trophy has historically been one of the most fiercely contested rivalries in world cricket and with the WTC final potentially hanging in the balance the 2027 series will undoubtedly be a thrilling end to the cycleGambhirrsquos tenure with Team India runs through to 2027 and it remains to be seen whether he will still be in charge when the WTC final takes place With stalwarts like Rohit Sharma Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja in the later stages of their careers the upcoming cycle could also see the conclusion of some legendary Test careersIndiarsquos WTC 202527 cycle scheduleIndia vs England away ndash 5 Tests ndash JuneAugust 2025India vs West Indies home ndash 2 Tests ndash October 2025India vs South Africa home ndash 2 Tests ndash December 2025India vs Sri Lanka away ndash 2 Tests ndash August 2026India vs New Zealand away ndash 2 Tests ndash OctoberDecember 2026India vs Australia home ndash 5 Tests ndash JanuaryFebruary 2027